Breakers remain unbeaten
The Laguna Beach High boys’ soccer team took on Mission Viejo Wednesday in nonleague play and turned in a strong second half to earn a 1-1 tie with the visiting Diablos at Guyer Field.
Senior midfielder Logan Eastman scored off an assist from senior defender Charlie Warner in the second half to bring the Breakers even. The draw put them at 2-0-2 for the season.
“The boys showed great character to come back after going a goal behind,” Laguna Coach Dan Richards said. “Mission Viejo had some very talented players and thoroughly deserved their lead. We did not get going, at all, in the first half and we were over-run in the midfield. They controlled the tempo of the game and we easily could have found ourselves in an even worse position at the break.
“The second half was a lot better from the lads and we put Mission on the back foot. We started to have a lot more success connecting our lines with players like Logan [Eastman], Bruce [Knill] and Charlie [Warner] all having a much bigger impact on the game. We had some very good chances before we got the equalizer and their keeper made a couple of good stops as well us having a goal disallowed for offside. Charlie was a handful for them during the second half and they never really were able to find an answer or slow him down.”
In a nonleague game Dec. 11, Laguna traveled to Aliso Niguel and shut down the host Wolverines, 1-0. Knill’s goal in the second half was the difference.
“This was a great win on the road for us and another step in the right direction for the program,” Richards aid. “Aliso is always a tough place to travel to and you know exactly what to expect when you play them. They were organized and stuck to their game plan very well.
“Bruce’s goal was a great individual effort and showed his quality on the ball. All the boys did a good job adjusting when we switched up our formation during the game and it really helped us control aspects of the match.”
The Breakers will play their final game before breaking for winter break when they host Tesoro in a 6:30 p.m. nonleague game Friday at Guyer Field.
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Girls’ Water Polo
The Breakers, ranked No. 1 in CIF Southern Section Division 1, took on 10th-ranked Los Alamitos Tuesday and overpowered the Griffins, 14-2, at Capistrano Valley High. Senior attacker Natalie Selin, junior attacker Bella Baldridge and senior utility Mia Salvini each scored three goals. Freshman attacker Sophie Legget scored twice, and senior attacker Haley Evans and sophomore attackers Sophia Lucas and Evan Tingler each scored once. Selin also had three assists, Baldridge and Evans both had two assists and three steals, Salvini two assists and two steals, senior goalie Holly Parker five saves, an assist and a steal, and sophomore goalie Thea Walsh had five saves and two assists.
In a key, early-season battle between the top two ranked teams in CIF-SS Division 1, Laguna will take on second-ranked Orange Lutheran in an 11 a.m. nonleague game Saturday at Santa Margarita High.
Next Wednesday, the Breakers will travel for a 10 a.m. nonleague game at ninth-ranked Newport Harbor.
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Girls’ Soccer
The Laguna program put on a strong showing at the recently completed 33rd annual Ocean View Winter Classic.
The varsity team ended its tourney run Monday against host Ocean View, and played the Seahawks to a 1-1 draw. The Breakers’ score came on a goal by sophomore midfielder Bianca Brock from a crossing delivery by freshman forward Blake Turner.
The Laguna varsity finished in third place in the varsity group.
The Breakers again played Ocean View in a nonleague game Thursday (Dec.17). The score wasn’t available at press time.
Also Monday, both the Laguna junior varsity and frosh/soph teams played for the tournament championship in their respective divisions at the Ocean View Winter Classic.
The JV team, coached by Daniel Pask, played Brea-Olinda to a 1-1 draw Saturday, lost a rematch Monday to the Wildcats, 3-0, and placed second in its division.
The frosh/soph team, coached by Paige Guldner, downed Ocean View, 3-0, Saturday, to advance to Monday’s final against Brea-Olinda. The Breakers again cruised to victory, this time, via a 4-1 win that earned them the championship.
The Breakers frosh/soph team outscored the opposition, 10-3, during the two-week tournament.
During the winter break, the Laguna varsity will travel to Indian Wells for a three-day, two-night, three-game road trip. First up is a Dec. 28 match at Xavier Prep followed by matches against Rancho Mirage (Dec. 29) and Shadow Hills (Dec. 30).
The Laguna JV and frosh/soph teams will play in the annual North Orange County Classic Dec. 28-30.
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CIF Weekly Rankings
(released Monday)
Girls’ Water Polo: Laguna Beach, No. 1, Division 1.
Boys’ Soccer: Laguna Beach, No. 10, Division 4.
